Top 3 Georgian Desserts

Tklapi is a unique Georgian dessert consisting of cooked fruit puree that is poured on a tray in a very thin layer and left to dry in the sun for a few days. It is typically prepared with fruits such as wild plums, pears, mulberry, figs, or apples. Visually, this healthy treat looks like a piece of leather. Tklapi can be consumed on its own or used in soups and stews.Expand

Churchkhela is a traditional Caucasian candy that is shaped into a sausage. This candy is made by dipping a long string of nuts (usually walnut halves) in concentrated grape juice, then leaving the concoction to dry. It is so healthy and so nutritious that, in the past, it was even carried by Georgian warriors on their long journeys. Although walnuts are usually used in the preparation of churchkhela, they can be replaced by almonds, hazelnuts, or raisins.Expand

Pelamushi is a dense, chilled dessert pudding constructed by boiling pressed grape juice and thickening the liquid heavily with finely milled white cornmeal. The origins of this sweetened fruit paste stem from the viticulture practices of the western Caucasus mountains, specifically regions like Imereti and Guria. During the annual autumn grape harvest known as Rtveli, massive quantities of surplus Rkatsiteli and Saperavi grapes required immediate preservation before freezing winter temperatures hit. By the 19th century, rural households consistently boiled freshly pressed grape must in large copper cauldrons over open fires to evaporate the water content, creating a shelf-stable syrup called badagi. The typical recipe begins with this unfermented badagi. The dark purple or amber liquid pours into a heavy metal pot and heats to a gentle simmer. A mixture of white cornmeal and a small fraction of wheat flour sifts slowly into the hot juice. A wooden spoon stirs the viscous mass continuously over a low flame for roughly forty-five minutes. The heat activates the starches in the cornmeal, binding the natural grape sugars into a stiff, glossy paste that pulls cleanly away from the interior walls of the pot. Changing the base ingredients alters the density and classification entirely. Eastern areas of the Caucasus substitute the cornmeal completely with pure wheat flour, yielding a lighter, stickier variant formally classified as tatara. Using white grapes instead of the standard dark red varieties completely changes the color from deep burgundy to pale gold and injects a sharper, highly acidic flavor profile. The hot paste is transferred immediately from the stove into shallow glass bowls or patterned molds. It then sits at room temperature for several hours until the starches cool and solidify into a firm, gelatinous block. The chilled pudding turns out easily onto a flat ceramic plate, retaining the exact shape of its container perfectly. A heavy scattering of crushed walnuts, toasted hazelnut halves, or raw pomegranate seeds is dropped directly over the smooth surface to provide a sharp, crunchy contrast against the soft cornmeal base. Slicing the cold dessert requires a wet knife, and pelamushi functions specifically as a sweet conclusion to large autumn harvest banquets.Expand